Coming to a cinema near you next month – a mix of big studio and small independent films.
Opening on 5 April 2019, Zachary Levi (Chuck television series) is the superhero of the title in the film ‘Shazam!’ Despite appearing in two Thor films for Marvel, Levi has defected to rival DC for this, the first feature film adaptation of the character with Mark Strong (The Imitation Game) as the villain Dr. Thaddeus Sivana.
Featuring the voice talents of Hugh Jackman (The Greatest Showman), Zoe Saldana (Avatar), Timothy Olyphant (Justified television series) and Emma Thompson (Saving Mr Banks), ‘The Missing Link’ is the latest stop motion project from Laika, the American animation studio. All of its previous releases, ‘Coraline’, ‘ParaNorman’, ‘The Boxtrolls’, and ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’ were nominated for Best Animated Film/Feature BAFTAs and Oscars. Expect brilliant craftsmanship from this film, which is released in direct competition with ‘Shazam!’
In contrast, expect complete box office domination from ‘Avengers: Endgame’, the 22nd instalment in the all-conquering Marvel Cinematic Universe film empire. With at least 22 superheroes present in this, the fourth part to the Avengers film series specifically, this is event cinema on the largest scale possible. Released on 25 April, this film could become the highest grossing (unadjusted for inflation) in history.
With a budget of just $2million, the comedy-drama ‘Eighth Grade’ opens the next day and couldn’t be more different. At just 14 years of age, Elsie Fisher was nominated for a Golden Globe for her leading performance.
Watch this space for film reviews!
In Scotland I attended Dunfermline High School from 2010 to 2016 and Edinburgh Napier University from 2016 to 2020, emerging with two Advanced Higher and five Higher qualifications from the former and graduating with an undergraduate bachelor of arts honours degree in journalism from the latter. After two years away from further education due to the coronavirus pandemic, I'm going to be studying the MFA Photography course at York St John University in England from 2022 to 2024. I've achieved The Duke of Edinburgh’s (Bronze) Award and received grade five level certification for electronic keyboard from Trinity College London. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, writing, watching television series, listening to music and going to the cinema as well as catching up with friends, travelling by railway and hostelling overnight and overindulging in food and drinks in a pub or restaurant then having to go to the gym to burn it all off again.
By studying journalism and photography, my aim of practicing photojournalism professionally will hopefully be once step closer. Both are partial artforms requiring the rest of the work to be undertaken by the audience, the specialism of photojournalism, however, providing each of its two parts with greater context. Exploring photographic techniques (aerial, timelapse, editing) through a variety of journalistic styles (features, poetry, songwriting) will allow me to develop my portfolio, hone my camera skillset and narrow my focus further in anticipation of working life. Without a global pandemic to deal with this time. Fingers crossed.
